‘INT. THE BODY – SUNRISE’ BY EMIRATI ARTIST MAITHA ABDALLA

Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation Supports Emirati Artist Maitha Abdalla’s Solo Exhibition in London

As part of its mission to support the talents and ambitions of promising Emirati artists, the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) is supporting the upcoming solo art exhibition by Maitha Abdalla, the first Emirati artist to participate in the An Effort Art Residency programme in London. The new exhibition, titled ‘INT. The Body – Sunrise’, is set to take place between 11-16 October 2022 at Cromwell Place, London.

The exhibition marks the culmination of Abdalla’s three-month An Effort residency in London’s Soho district, supported by ADMAF. An Effort supports artists who, either through their messaging or their process, seek to connect and engage with their audience and wider community in a unique way.

H.E. Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo, Founder of ADMAF, Founder and Artistic Director of Abu Dhabi Festival, said: “The Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation is committed to investing in the talent and creative potential of Emirati artists and empowering them to realise their dreams and ambitions. We are pleased to support Maitha Abdalla as the first Emirati to be invited to the residency programme at London’s An Effort Art and to nurture and develop the passion she has shown for the arts from an early age. Maitha’s solo exhibition is an exceptional opportunity to introduce London audiences to her unique practice and foster cross-cultural understanding by giving insight into the UAE’s thriving art scene.”

With unique artworks that feature cultural narratives and nostalgia-inducing reminiscence, Maitha Abdalla explores aspects of social and cultural identity, often inspired by folk tales from her childhood.

On her time spent during the An Effort residency Maitha Abdalla said: “The first few weeks brought me back to basics. I spent hours sketching out my characters, focusing on construction to better understand movement and form. I found myself fixated upon the rooster. In local culture the call of the rooster signals that angels are close by, my grandmother would tell me this as a child and the rooster – as an embodiment of spirituality – preoccupied me for years. It became a regular motif in my output that I have taken the time to really unpack and develop during this three-month period of immersion; you’ll notice that the rooster recurs in the paintings that will be exhibited at Cromwell Place as well as its counterpart – the donkey which is said to perceive demons.”

Renowned for her work which oscillates between the diaphanous, vibrant and surreal, and is always marked by an atmosphere of reminiscence and nostalgia, Maitha’s work has appeared in various exhibitions, including Abu Dhabi Festival 2022’s Portrait of a Nation II: Beyond Narratives which featured her work, ‘The Dancing and the Animal’. The landmark exhibition was held as part of the 19th edition of Abu Dhabi Festival, under the theme ‘Crafting the Emirates State of Mind: Creation, Innovation and Joy.’

For over 25 years, Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (ADMAF) has supported the innovation and creativity of talented individuals, aiming to create distinguished competencies and promote cultural movement locally and internationally.

The Exhibition will run from 11 October to 16 October 2022 at Cromwell Place, London,